university
Vol. 38, No. 6
gazette.unc.edu
April 3, 2013
4
10
Six
honored
with Massey
awards
Ca ro l i n a F a cu l ty a n d S ta ff N e w s
‘If not here,
then where?’
Carolina
takes on ‘The
Rite of Spring’
Giving
student s
a thrill of
discovery
Emil Kang, executive director for the arts, flips through the press clips from the season.
Covered worldwide, “The Rite of Spring at 100” garnered more press in one year for
Carolina Performing Arts than recent seasons combined.
E
12
Constantly
searching
for a
better way
mil Kang doesn’t take credit for the idea.
It goes, instead, to Severine Neff, Eugene Falk Distinguished
Professor of Music. In 2007, the two were batting around ideas
about arts at UNC, and Neff casually mentioned that 2013 would mark
the 100th anniversary of the bold French ballet “The Rite of Spring.”
Why not build a Carolina Performing Arts season around it?
The ballet – with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky and orchestra
work by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky – is noted as an avant-garde
masterpiece, its score among the most influential pieces of music in the
20th century.
“She had a great idea,” said Kang, executive director for the arts.
“That is the thing you need first. No one had started talking about it yet.
We said, ‘Let’s do this before New York does it.’”
The influence of “The Rite of Spring” was broad, Neff said, inspiring
film scores of movies including “Fantasia” and the music of rock icons
like Frank Zappa, and leading to more than 130 choreographic interpretations. Social scientists studied how the brain processes its dissonant chords and the poet W.H. Auden wrote about its portrayal of the
violent aspects of spring – the “cracking open” of the earth. “‘The Rite’
is a catalyst for creative thought,” she said.
See The Rite of spring page 7
Thorp: state investment in higher education vital
A week after Gov. Pat McCrory unveiled his
budget proposal for 2013-14, Chancellor Holden
Thorp and University trustees said it is imperative that the University contest McCrory’s proposal to raise out-of-state undergraduate tuition
beyond the levels the UNC Board of Governors
approved earlier this year.
Thorp said the additional increases are “not
something we can support and we are going to
argue against it vociferously the rest of the session.”
Under the BOG plan, Carolina’s out-ofstate undergraduate tuition for 2013–14 would
increase by $1,630, or 6.1 percent, raising tuition
to $26,905. McCrory is calling for adding another
12.3 percent increase, which would increase
tuition in excess of 18 percent from the previous
year and push out-of-state tuition above $30,000,
not counting fees.
McCrory’s proposal also calls for raising outof-state undergraduate tuition by 12.3 percent at
five other campuses in addition to Carolina, and
by 6 percent at the remaining campuses.
“We’ve got to work together to get that
provision removed,” Thorp told trustees. “It is
not good policy and it is not consistent with the
ideals we have about how the University should
be operated.”
Unlike the BOG-recommended tuition
See Budget page 4
2 Un ive rsity
Gaze t t e
on th e we b
SEVEN SAWYERS
go.unc.edu/z5CQt
When Raymond Sawyer graduates in May, it will be
the end of an era. For the last 17 years, a Sawyer has
played and marched in the Marching Tar Heels band.
“It’s one of the longest-running continuous memberships by one family I think I have seen,” said Jeff Fuchs,
the director of the Marching Tar Heels.
MOBILE FLORA APP
go.unc.edu/k7JFy
Researchers at UNC will team up to develop a mobile
app to help identify plant species in the field. The app
also will enable botanical garden and herbarium visitors to delve much more deeply into information about
plants on view. The Mobile Flora App concept won the
2013 Carolina Apps Competition.
PHONE VS. YOUR HEART
go.unc.edu/Fd94B
In an editorial in the New York Times, Barbara Fredrickson, professor of psychology, says that habits of social
connection can leave their physical imprints. “How much
time do you typically spend with others? And when you
do, how connected and attuned to them do you feel?”
Fredrickson said.
Campus security program to be reviewed
The U.S. Department of Education’s Clery
Act Compliance Division will conduct a
program review to evaluate how Carolina has
complied with the federal law.
The review, which was prompted by a complaint filed Feb. 20, was expected, and the University will cooperate fully with the review team,
said Chancellor Holden Thorp.
“Protecting the safety and well-being of our students is one of the University’s highest priorities,”
said Thorp. “We are committed to complying with
the Clery Act and properly informing students and
the campus community about criminal activity
and safety threats. The review is an opportunity to
make additional improvements if needed.”
The Clery Act requires campuses participating in federal financial aid programs to maintain and disclose crime statistics and security
information. The Department of Education will
review whether the University properly followed
the Clery Act, including provisions involving
disclosure of campus crime statistics, as well as
policies and procedures regarding how campus
sexual assaults were handled.
The review, which will involve a campus visit
this month, also will evaluate allegations in the
complaint. When the review is complete, the
Department of Education may inform the University about findings, recommendations or next
steps. An official written report will come later.
In conjunction with ongoing campus investigations, Thorp announced last week that the student-led Honor Court has been asked to suspend
a proceeding involving a student who has spoken
out about sexual assault issues on campus. In connection with that case, campus officials understand that a claim of retaliation may be filed with
the Office for Civil Rights against the University.
“For several weeks, the University has grappled
with how best to respond to a public claim of retaliation against the University while maintaining
the autonomy and integrity of our Honor Court
proceedings and the privacy of the individuals
involved,” Thorp told the campus community.
“Recognizing the potential conflicts that may
exist by allowing both processes to continue, we
have asked the Student Attorney General to suspend the Honor Court proceeding pending an
external review of these allegations of retaliation.
The University takes all allegations of retaliation
seriously, whether against an individual or an
institution, and this allegation is no exception.”
See campusconversation.web.unc.edu for
additional information.
university
Panel discussion to focus on role of athletics
Editor
Patty Courtright (962-7124)
patty_courtright@unc.edu
managing Editor
Gary C. Moss (962-7125)
gary_moss@unc.edu
Associate editor
Courtney Mitchell (962-8594)
courtney_mitchell@unc.edu
Photographer
Dan Sears (962-8592)
Design and Layout
UNC Creative
Linda Graham
Contributors
University Relations
Editorial Offices
210 Pittsboro St., Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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The University Gazette is a University
publication. Its mission is to build a sense
of campus community by communicating
information relevant and vital to faculty and
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goals and messages. The editor reserves
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be published in the Gazette and to edit
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style, tone and content.
Last summer, Chancellor Holden Thorp said he would follow through with a key recommendation of a Faculty Executive
Committee report: to examine the role of athletics in the life of
the University.
He asked Hunter Rawlings, president of the Association of
American Universities, to lead a panel of leaders in higher education and athletics this spring. That group will meet for the first
time on April 19, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Carolina Inn’s Hill
Ballroom South.
A former university president and successful student-athlete,
and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
Rawlings spoke on campus last fall about the future of research
universities (see go.unc.edu/Nx78Q).
Joining Rawlings on the panel are:
James Delany, longtime commissioner of the Big Ten Conference and a former NCAA enforcement officer. He holds bachelor’s and law degrees from Carolina, where he was a tri-captain
on the men’s basketball team.
Bob Malekoff, associate professor and sport studies chair at
Guilford College and a former athletics director and head
coach. He has written about athletics and sports management at
the collegiate and professional levels.
Amy Perko, executive director of the Knight Commission on
Intercollegiate Athletics, a former NCAA employee and an athletics administrator at the University of Kansas. She earned academic honors as a Wake Forest student-athlete.
Patricia Timmons-Goodson, former associate justice of the
N.C. Supreme Court who holds two degrees from Carolina and
served on the N.C. Court of Appeals.
She serves on Guilford College’s Board
of Trustees.
Thorp said he would address the panel,
and he has invited several speakers to participate in a roundtable discussion.
Those include Jay Bilas, ESPN broadcaster, attorney and a former Duke basketball player; Bubba Cunningham,
Rawlings
director of athletics at Carolina; Joy
Renner, Faculty Athletics Committee chair and clinical associate professor of allied health sciences; Jay Smith, professor and
associate chair of history; and Richard Southall, associate professor of sport administration and director of the College Sport
Research Institute.
The campus community will also have an opportunity to
share comments.
“This is a chance to hold the conversation the faculty have
requested,” Thorp said. “I don’t expect this panel to solve in a
short time what the Knight Commission has been addressing for
more than 20 years. But this is a good opportunity to engage in a
conversation that will lead to recommendations for best practices
moving forward.
“The issues we face here are not unique to Carolina, and
we hope other campuses around the nation benefit from the
panel’s work.”
Rawlings and the panelists will decide how to proceed after the
April 19 discussion.
April 3, 2 013
3
Smith briefs trustees on sexual assault dialogue, recommendations
Cases of sexual assault and misconduct are not like other
cases. They are grossly under-reported and usually there is significant lag time between when an incident occurs and when
authorities are notified.
An estimated 30 percent of sexual assault and misconduct
incidents are reported. That figure drops to 5 percent on a college campus with the reports coming, on average, 57 days later.
These statistics, which Gina Smith outlined in her presentation to the University’s Board of Trustees on March 28, help
underscore the complexities of sexual assault cases – for everyone involved. Smith is a former prosecutor, educator and consultant who has guided several institutions and has been leading Carolina’s conversation to engage and educate the campus
community about sexual assault.
“In my role here at UNC, I am one voice, and I hope in some
way to change the conversation – not only here, but across the
country,” she said.
The issues surrounding sexual assault are not unique to college campuses. What happens on campuses is a microcosm
for what happens in broader society, she said. In addition
to delayed reporting, other issues include the psychological
impact following trauma, the common lack of physical evidence, cases in which the people know each other and cases
that turn on word-against-word analysis.
What is different in the university setting, Smith said, is a requirement under Title IX to provide resources that ensure the safety and
well-being of the person who brings forward the complaint, no
matter what the facts are. Because sexual assault is a form of sexual
harassment, it is covered under Title IX, she explained.
“The regulatory framework for colleges asks us to be all things
to all people, to respond fairly to all sides,” Smith said. That’s
because universities are better equipped to understand the
nuances of these situations and deliver the necessary services.
Higher education institutions are required to provide an avenue for students to pursue sexual assault claims separate from
the criminal justice system, Smith said. It’s up to the complainant to decide whether to pursue criminal charges in addition to,
or instead of, pursuing cases through the university process.
The successful integration of the law and its requirements
depends on what Smith calls the 3-D labyrinth: a complex regulatory framework that is informed by federal, state and local laws;
the unique dynamics of sexual misconduct, including an understanding that each case is as unique as the person who experienced it; and the distinct history and culture of each institution.
“If we ignore any one of these, we are out of sync in serving
people’s well-being,” Smith said.
Bringing about a culture change requires education and
engagement, she explained. And that’s why, when Chancellor
Holden Thorp asked her to lead the conversation at Carolina,
she agreed.
Going forward
Smith outlined four key areas to be addressed.
Current Climate: Assessing the current climate by educating
and engaging “all ports in the storm” will not only avoid gaps in
understanding the processes for dealing with sexual assault and
its dynamics, she said, it is the only way to provide support for
the individuals involved.
“If we are not attending to the individuals in these cases as
we should, we lose an opportunity for them to say, ‘The system
supported me,’ rather than, ‘The system hurt me,’” Smith said.
Policy: The second factor is to examine the University’s policy.
While Carolina’s policy is generally compliant with Title IX, Smith
said, it should be tweaked to represent “the other end of the telescope” – from the lens of the end user instead of the institution.
“We need to look at how we present the policy in terms of
clarity, FAQs and flow charts of information,” she said.
Education and Training: It is also important to train the entire campus community about what sexual violence is and how
to recognize it and what the grievance policy outlines. This involves coordinating an understanding of the systems involved
so the decision-making process rests in the hands of people
who understand the issues and can provide guidance.
“We can’t play golf with a basketball,” she said in highlighting
the importance of creating widespread understanding.
AHEC: 40 years of
teaching, caring
After 40 years of improving the health of North Carolinians, AHEC is just
hitting its stride.
The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program, based at Carolina, sends out hundreds of faculty members to
towns across the state to teach, to care for patients and to look for ways
to improve how each center serves the local community. Nine regional
centers serve all 100 counties in North Carolina.
Six UNC faculty members describe why AHEC is important to them
and to the state. They are Jean Davison, School of Nursing; Seema Garg,
School of Medicine; Kim Strom-Gottfried, School of Social Work; Brenda
Mitchell, Department of Allied Health Sciences in the medical school;
Stephen Orton, Gillings School of Global Public Health; and Allen
Samuelson, School of Dentistry.
Read more: go.unc.edu/Em4k7
Implementation: The fourth area focuses on implementation
and identifying the roles and responsibilities of people across
campus who deal with issues of sexual misconduct.
“This requires that we get around the table and understand
how these laws impact each other so we can operate in a coordinated way,” Smith said.
Campus conversation
The Carolina community has been tremendously engaged in
the ongoing campus conversation, she told the trustees. Within
the past few weeks, Smith has held several discussion groups as
a way to provide information and solicit feedback.
“There has been equal effort from the top and the bottom,
and everything in between – among students, faculty and
staff,” Smith said. “There is a plethora of opportunity here.”
In addressing questions from the trustees, Smith emphasized the importance of education and training in making sure
policy is implemented effectively. People must be prepared to
act quickly when a person who has experienced sexual violence
comes to them for help.
“These time frames are critical,” she said. “The way we
respond out of the gate will forever affect the trajectory of one’s
healing and of one’s ability to use our processes and enable us
as an institution to allow our values to shine and to allow our
systems to have integrity and credibility and be trusted.”
Education and training will not only help people know
how to respond to sexual misconduct and assaults, but will
also help prevent them, she said. The University also needs
to address drug and alcohol abuse on campus, a “root cause”
she said involved in 80 percent to 90 percent of campus
sexual assaults.
Surveys, meetings with students, and direct feedback from
people involved in the process will indicate if and how attitudes
are changing.
“The courage of this campus to face this head on in this way
has created a lot of conversation,” she said, “and I think the conversation will become more informed and, over time, shift to
something that is more proactive and prevention-focused.”
4 Un ive rsity
Gaze t t e
Six at Carolina receive prestigious Massey Awards
Six employees have been selected by Chancellor Holden
Thorp to receive a 2013 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award, one of the most coveted distinctions the University
gives faculty and staff.
The late C. Knox Massey of Durham created the awards in
1980 to recognize “unusual, meritorious or superior contributions” by University employees. In 1984, he joined the families
of his son, Knox Massey Jr., and daughter, Kay Massey Weatherspoon, in creating the Massey-Weatherspoon fund. Income from
the fund supports the Massey Awards and Carolina Seminars.
Thorp will honor the recipients, who were chosen from
nominations from the campus community, at an awards
luncheon on April 27. Each will receive a $7,500 stipend and
an award citation. With the growth of the endowment, each
award is increasing from $6,000 to $7,500.
This year’s recipients are:
Tammy Cotton, a housekeeper who works at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Thurston
Bowles building;
Mary Craven, a retired administrative assistant in Housekeeping Services;
Nancy Davis, retired associate vice chancellor for university
relations;
James R. “Bud” Harper, retired associate dean of medical alumni affairs and a clinical professor in the School of
Medicine;
Eunice N. Sahle, chair and associate professor in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies; and
Regina Stabile, director of institutional records and reporting
compliance in the Office of University Counsel.
Cotton
Cotton has been a member of the Housekeeping corps for
16 years. Her current colleagues at UNC Lineberger and the
Thurston Bowles building feel lucky to have her working the
daytime shift. They call her totally reliable and always cheerful, someone who solves problems before they actually become
problems. “She is truly a gem that lives at the intersection of professionalism and kindness,” they wrote in nominating her.
Craven
Craven, who retired after 20 years, has been called “the
mother of the Housekeeping department,” who counsels,
motivates, shows compassion for and even reprimands her
Budget from page 1
increase, revenue from McCrory’s increase
would not stay on campus to meet existing
needs, but be added to the state’s general fund,
Thorp said.
Compounding the issue, there would be no
available revenue for need-based aid to offset the increases for students who qualify for
financial aid, Thorp said.
Sallie Shuping-Russell, chair of the Board
of Trustees’ Budget, Finance and Audit Committee, said out-of-state students have already
accepted offers of admission to come to Carolina, with the expectation that they were getting a better deal than the one they would have
if McCrory’s proposed increase is approved.
co-workers. She began as a housekeeper, and
while working took some clerical skills classes
offered by the University and worked her way up
through the department. Along the way, she has
inspired co-workers to broaden their horizons.
She has mentored and encouraged success in others, while saying that she was always proud to be
a housekeeper.
Davis
Davis retired in February after 30 years of service to the state, with 23 at Carolina. Her tenure at UNC was marked by distinction, honor
and profound loyalty. She began in the Office
of Development, planning events and communications, before being promoted to director of
communications and then to the associate vice
chancellor post. In that demanding role, she was
always on call, and supported many of the University’s historic moments, including presidential
visits, new chancellors and the Bicentennial celebration. Through it all she was known for her
warmth and collegiality.
Cotton
Craven
Davis
Harper
Sahle
Stabile
Harper
Harper has spent 53 years at Carolina, and his work has
touched generations of Tar Heels. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees here, and following post-graduate
work elsewhere, joined the Division of Cardiology – moving
from part-time clinical professor to full-time faculty member.
In 1999, he was appointed associate dean and director of medical alumni affairs in the School of Medicine, and served in that
capacity until retiring last July. He continues part-time as a clinical professor. During his tenure as associate dean, scholarship
support grew and the active alumni donor base increased significantly. The Medical Alumni Loyalty Fund has established
six endowed professorships.
Sahle
Sahle joined the African and Afro-American studies faculty
in 2001 as an expert in the political and economic development
of Africa in the context of globalization. She became department chair on Jan. 1, 2012, during a very challenging period in
its history. The department is now emerging from an academic
Thorp and Shuping-Russell also expressed
concern about the 5.4 percent reduction in
state appropriations for the UNC system
that McCrory is seeking. That level of cuts
would cost the system more than $138 million, with Carolina’s share of that reduction
amounting to $27.54 million.
“This is the time the state should be investing in higher education,” Thorp said. He
added that he others in the University would
continue to make that case with legislators.
A bright spot in McCrory’s budget proposal
was the $50 million earmarked for building
maintenance and repair throughout the UNC
system, which now has deferred maintenance
needs exceeding $2 billion.
In three of the five budgets passed between
2008 and the current fiscal year, the University
crisis with vitality and rigor because of Sahle’s outstanding
leadership, academic vision, inclusive work style, integrity and
unselfish service. Her willingness to step into this leadership
role at such a critical juncture is one indication of how deeply
she cares about the University, its faculty and students, and the
department’s role on campus.
Stabile
Stabile serves as the University’s public records officer. Since
she was hired into the position in 2009, the volume, scope
and complexity of public records requests has increased
exponentially. According to nominators, she brings to her
work the diplomatic skills of a Secretary of State, organizational
skills of the national archivist, analytic skills of a law professor
and the stamina and drive of the Energizer Bunny. She has
provided a vital service to the University in a very challenging
time. She frequently faces impossible deadlines and works
under much scrutiny and pressure – all with exceptional skill,
integrity and poise.
did not receive any state funding for repair and
renovations, Shuping-Russell said. Carolina
received $6.2 million in 2009 and $8.8 million
in the current fiscal year. The current backlog
of repair and renovation needs now stands at
$697 million.
(See go.unc.edu/Js97P for additional information about McCrory’s proposal.)
Bill Roper, CEO of UNC Health Care and
dean of the School of Medicine, told the trustees
that he is asking the legislature for $41 million
to go directly for support of the medical school.
That is the amount of state appropriations the
health care system received in 2009 and 2010
before undergoing a series of budget cuts.
Roper said the health care system is already
doing its share to support the medical school,
having transferred a total of $653 million to
the medical school since 2003.
However, Roper said it is also important
to recognize that the health care system has
only so much money it can afford to give and
continue to fulfill its mission, which includes
providing clinical services to state residents
regardless of their ability to pay.
Historically, UNC Hospitals has had a
recurring state appropriation. It received no
state support this fiscal year, after the legislature cut its appropriation by $26 million
and directed $15 million to the School
of Medicine.
“We hope to be a strong, substantial health
organization,” Roper said. “We will always be a
safety net; that’s an important part of who we
are. We want to ask the legislature to please let
us do what we have always done – our job.”
April 3, 2 013
5
Faculty/Staff
News
Brown to head Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes
Brown
Michelle Brown has been named
director of the University’s Academic
Support Program for Student-Athletes
(ASPSA), effective May 6.
She has worked with studentathletes for more than 15 years at
Florida Atlantic University, serving since
2005 as director of the Student-Athlete
Center for Academic Excellence and
associate athletic director for academics
and student services.
At Carolina, Brown will lead the ASPSA staff, which serves
the University’s nearly 800 student-athletes. Staff members
include four associate directors; a learning specialist; a reading,
writing and learning specialist; five academic counselors and
a tutor coordinator. They are joined by six part-time learning
assistants and 57 part-time tutors.
“Dr. Brown’s perspective as an accomplished academic and
successful administrator who has competed as a student-athlete
makes her an excellent fit for our University,” Bruce Carney,
executive vice chancellor and provost, and Bobbi Owen, senior
associate dean for undergraduate education, said in a campus
message announcing the appointment.
When Brown arrives, the ASPSA will move to the Provost’s
Office from the College of Arts and Sciences, where the program has been housed since the early 1980s. The change
reflects the ASPSA’s important role in advancing the academic
mission of the entire University, as well as the recommended
growth in the program resulting from a strategic planning process completed in 2011, Carney and Owen said.
Because the provost is ultimately responsible for academic
oversight throughout the University, the shift in reporting
responsibility separates the academic and athletic responsibilities for student-athletes. It follows Chancellor Holden Thorp’s
removal last fall of a secondary dotted reporting line from the
ASPSA to the athletics department.
Brown earned her bachelor of arts degree in International
Studies and French with magna cum laude honors in 1992 at
West Virginia University, where she played Division I volleyball as a scholarship student-athlete. She went on to earn a
master’s degree in foreign languages there and completed her
Ed.D. in higher education administration at Florida Atlantic in
2002 while working full time.
She was selected following a national search led by a
committee chaired by Steve Matson, dean of the Graduate
School. Harold Woodard, associate dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences, has served as ASPSA interim director since
last year.
Barner named UNC’s new Energy Services director
Philip Barner became UNC’s
director of Energy Services on
March 11. He has been at Carolina
since 2004, initially as the Energy
Services’ capital program manager.
Five years later, he became manager of the cogenerations systems,
where he led a 74-person unit that
is responsible for providing steam
to the campus, generating 20 percent of campus electricity.
Barner has more than 30 years
of engineering, construction and
project management experience in
the energy industry. Before coming to Carolina, he held engineering positions in private industry
related to steam plant and power
station design, construction and
operation in the United States and
several foreign countries.
“In today’s challenging and rapidly changing environment, Phil’s
extensive and diverse experience
will be a valuable asset in ensuring
that Energy Services continues to
provide highly reliable services at a
reasonable cost,” Carolyn Elfland,
associate vice chancellor for campus services, said in announcing
Barner’s appointment.
He replaces Ray DuBose, who
retired last fall after more than a
decade in the post.
Energy Services provides steam,
chilled water, electricity, potable
water, non-potable water, stormwater and sewer services for the
University and UNC Hospitals.
“While I have had some interesting and challenging assignments over my career, the experiences I have had since coming to
UNC eight-plus years ago have
been some of the more rewarding
in my career,” Barner said.
Barner holds two bachelor’s
degrees – one in anthropology
from the University of Chicago
and one in mechanical engineering from the University of
Minnesota. He is a registered professional engineer and is a
member of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers and
the International District Energy
Association.
Phil Barner talks about the methane flaring phase of the landfill gasification. In
background is the enclosed methane flare.
ho no rs
Gary Bowen, Kenan Distinguished Professor in the
School of Social Work, is the recipient of the School of Health
and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award from
UNC-Greensboro.
Anthony Hackney, an exercise physiologist in the
Department of Exercise and Sport Science, has received the
University of Santiago’s Medal of Distinction, the highest
honor awarded by the University of Santiago, which is ranked
as a top 10 university in Latin America.
Oliver Smithies, Weatherspoon Eminent Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and member of the UNC Lineberger
Comprehensive Cancer Center, was named to the first
class of Fellows of the American Association for Cancer
Research Academy.
Sidney C. Smith Jr, professor of medicine and clinician
in the UNC Center for Heart and Vascular Care, received the
2013 Joseph Stokes III, MD Award from the American Society
for Preventive Cardiology. This prestigious award honors those
who have made significant contributions in the field of preventive cardiology through research, teaching, clinical activity
and leadership.
Paul Chelminski, associate professor of medicine and
associate program director for outpatient education, was
elected as one of the three councilors for the Association for
Program Directors in Internal Medicine, where he will serve a
three-year term.
6 Un ive rsity
Gaze t t e
Seventeen individuals, groups honored for public service
Engaging young girls in healthy lifestyles, promoting
interventions against interpersonal and relationship violence, and addressing the critical need for clean water are
just a few of the public service projects the University honored during the March 26 awards ceremony hosted by the
Carolina Center for Public Service. Seventeen individuals
and organizations received honors.
“The breadth and depth of the efforts of these students,
faculty, staff and University units exemplify UNC’s commitment to public service and engagement,” said Lynn
Blanchard, center director. “The work they have done
upholds the tradition of connecting the University’s mission of teaching, research and service to addressing practical
problems, and we are proud to honor them.”
Stephen Caiola, associate professor in the Eshelman
School of Pharmacy, received the Ned Brooks Award for
Public Service in recognition of his more than four decades
of service through UNC Hospitals and the pharmacy
school. His role at Carolina “is one of fulfilled service to others, largely through extending health care to every city and
town across the state and beyond,” a nominator said.
Named for Brooks, a Carolina faculty member and
administrator since 1972, the award recognizes a faculty or
staff member who has built a sustained record of community service through individual efforts and has promoted the
involvement and guidance of others.
After establishing the clinical pharmacy program at UNC
Hospitals, Caiola worked with Orange Chatham Comprehensive Health Service to improve health care for the
underserved in the community. He also involved pharmacy
students as charter members of the Student Health Action
Coalition, the oldest health affairs student-run clinic in
the country.
The center presented three Office of the Provost Engaged
Scholarship Awards honoring service through teaching,
research and partnerships:
Patricia S. Parker, associate professor of communication
studies, was recognized for her work to provide students
with an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in a
real-world setting;
Rebecca J. Macy, associate professor in the School of
Social Work, was honored for her work on interpersonal
and relationship violence, especially in promoting safety
and recovery from the trauma of violence; and
The Project GRACE Consortium was recognized for its
work to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in African-American communities.
Five people and one organization received Robert E.
Bryan Public Service Awards in recognition of their exemplary public service efforts:
Judith Blau, professor emeritus of sociology, was recognized for founding the Human Rights Center of Chapel
From left, Melvin Jackson, Ron Strauss, Lynn Blanchard, Chancellor Holden Thorp and Lucille Webb pose following the
presentation of the Public Service Awards. The March 26 ceremony was hosted by the Carolina Center for Public Service.
See Public Service Awards page 10
Campus units work together to welcome future Tar Heels
High school senior Grace Busby was worried as she stood in the registration line for
Explore Carolina.
“Being an out-of-state student, I was concerned that I would be coming to a school
with a bunch of pre-existing friend groups,”
said Busby, a resident of Solana Beach, Calif.
To her relief, such concerns were quickly
put to rest. “After talking to a lot of current
students, I realized that there was no need
to worry because everyone has been so
warm and welcoming.”
Explore Carolina, which is hosted by the
Office of Undergraduate Admissions with
participation from many other offices across
campus such as the College of Arts and
Sciences, Housing and Residential Education, and New Student and Carolina Parent
Programs, is designed in part to address
concerns like Busby’s.
It allows admitted students and their
families to build their own itineraries and
choose from more than 50 sessions exploring
what Carolina has to offer – from academic
majors to internship possibilities to financial
aid. Participants are also encouraged to walk
around campus and chat with current students they encounter along the way.
As someone undecided on a potential
major, Kevin Lee of Raleigh was most interested in the academic sessions. “I’ve been
to Carolina before. I was actually on campus recently for a journalism program, but
now I want to get a better feel for some of
the other majors and for the campus as a
whole,” he said.
Lee, who has narrowed his college
choices down to two, attended the computer science session.
Thinking globally
A research session Busby attended helped
solidify her decision to come to Carolina.
“I’m planning on double majoring in psychology and anthropology, and I would
like to do research in a neuroscience lab or
work with a psychology professor on their
research,” she said.
Busby is already thinking ahead to how
she can maximize her undergraduate experience. “I want to talk to my professors and
academic adviser about getting a research
grant to travel abroad for a semester in
Southeast Asia, preferably Thailand, to
focus on service or academics,” she said.
That kind of broad thinking is part of
what Explore Carolina is designed to spark.
“Our hope is that by the end of the day,
students have a better sense of our campus
and the vast resources available to them,”
said Andrew Parrish, senior assistant director of undergraduate admissions. “We want
students to know that should they choose
Carolina, they will join a community of faculty, staff, students and alumni committed
to helping them reach their full potential.”
Carolina connections
Those who already know that their blood
bleeds Carolina Blue have the option to
See Welcome page 11
April 3, 2 013
The Rite of spring from page 1
Carolina Performing Arts’ celebration
hosted 12 new works, 11 of which were commissions, nine world premieres and two U.S.
premieres from artists who brought their ideas
to Carolina’s classrooms along with the stage.
Interdisciplinary discussions and collaborations directed by the Institute for the Arts and
Humanities were led by professors around
campus, bolstered by a generous grant from
the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Twenty new courses in art history, communications, comparative literature, English and
music considered aspects of “The Rite.”
Two academic conferences focused on the
piece, one held in Chapel Hill in October
(praised by the The New Yorker and The
New York Times), and another to be held in
Moscow in May.
“How do we get people out of the theater
to see art as not something you consume, but
something with a much larger sense of purpose that goes beyond one year, one season,
one moment?” Kang said. “Our goal all along
has been to get people to see the art beyond
what they see on stage.”
Innovating through art
Herbert Migdoll
The 1913 performance at the Théatre des
Champs-Elysées unsettled audiences with its
unconventional smock-like costumes, dissonant score and inelegant choreography.
Toes turned in, feet fell heavy, dancers bent
awkwardly and long lines were lost as the
music continued to strike notes in unexpected
ways that assaulted traditional notions of
music. Brawls broke out in the hall, and a riot
spilled into the street.
“At the end of the Belle Époque, everything
was beautiful and rich and representational.
Then modernism and abstractionism came in,
and it must have been like a slap in the face,”
Kang said.
Six years before Carolina’s season-long celebration, “The Rite of Spring at 100,” would
take its mark, Kang began asking artists around
the world what they thought about creating
new pieces using “The Rite of Spring” centennial as a springboard.
“I have always believed that the act of commissioning new work is a very important part
of our job at Carolina, that, because of us, new
works of art are made. New research happens
because of UNC, and our research is in the
creation of art.”
This season saw the Mariinsky Orchestra of
St. Petersburg, The Silk Road Ensemble with
Yo-Yo Ma, the collaborative work of choreographer Bill T. Jones and theater director
Anne Bogart, the Joffrey Ballet’s painstakingly researched reconstruction of the “The
Rite of Spring” and more. Still to come are
puppeteer Basil Twist; the UNC School of
the Arts schools of dance, music, and design
and production; and the Martha Graham
Dance Company.
Throughout this season patrons have asked
Kang, “What are we going to see tonight?”
and he hasn’t always known. That uncertainly
doesn’t always rest well with a theatergoer,
but, Kang said, that was the point.
‘If not here, where?’
Marrying the arts and the academy is the
role of a university-based arts program where
performances are made on dual stages, Kang
said. There’s the global stage where Carolina
Performing Arts is competing with the likes of
Carnegie Hall, and the academic stage, where
the competition is at Duke or UCLA.
“If not here, where?” Kang asked. ”The university is not a museum. Sure, we preserve history and tradition and pass them on to young
people, but we have to move always.”
People are too often caught up in the transactions of attending a performance: ordering
tickets, finding parking, getting there and back,
Kang said. By commissioning new works for
“The Rite of Spring at 100,” Carolina Performing Arts could “encourage our community to
embrace art for the brilliance of the process,
not just the fun that it is.”
You can’t discount the value of a good time,
he said, but that couldn’t be the goal.
“Other companies don’t have to respond
to the academic heartbeat, the pulse of this
place,” he said. “Here, we are obliged to.”
‘As big as basketball’
When Kang came to Chapel Hill in 2005, he
said he wanted the arts to be as big as basketball. “Everyone just laughed,” he said.
Earlier last month Chancellor Emeritus James
Moeser, professor of music and co-teacher of
a first year seminar with Kang, introduced the
Cleveland Orchestra and told the audience that
Carolina Performing Arts had been on the New
York Times arts page more this year than the
Tar Heels had been on the sports page.
Kang, pointing to a glossy binder bursting
with press clippings, said, “This is our press
just for ‘The Rite of Spring.’ This is the equivalent of all the press we’d received in the past
seven years total.”
The New York Times, Wall Street Journal,
7
BBC, NPR and the New Yorker have all given
space to the events this year as the local
community returned to Memorial Hall time
after time.
On March 24, as the men’s basketball team
faced the University of Kansas in the second
round of the NCAA tournament, seats filled
to welcome the Joffrey Ballet, who were performing their world-renowned reconstruction
of “The Rite of Spring,” a performance which
would give most people their first glimpse of
the 1913 original.
Basketball-loving patrons checked scores
until the final buzzer, right before the curtain
went up, and then turned their attention to
the stage. Captivated by the performance, the
audience held applause long enough for dancers to take bow after bow.
“When I get an email from a student or an
alumnus who was moved by a performance, I’ll
save it, like a squirrel saves nuts in his cheeks,”
Kang said. “I just need one a year,” he joked,
“to keep me going.”
Carolina understands what arts mean at
their core, he said. It’s why seasons like “The
Rite of Spring at 100” get the green light. Kang
said they never set out to make money (necessary as it is to keep the project going), just art.
“And better human beings,” he adds.
“If you pump enough information and ideas
into people, one of them will light. They will
spark and catch. That’s when they’ll care so
much that they put all their energy and effort
into something, see it through, and then make
a difference somewhere.”
As the season comes to a close, Neff’s work
will go on as she guides the process of turning
the conferences’ proceedings into a scholarly
book publication in tandem with a website to
add Carolina’s contributions to the legacy of
“The Rite of Spring.”
“UNC is now part of its history,” Neff said.
“Any arts organization at a university like
ours has to consider how its choices
will impact what people learn here, and what
future scholarship may come from that.
The 100th anniversary of ‘The Rite’ was meant
to be here.”
Learn more about the concept, performances, conferences and courses
at www.theriteofspringat100.org.
Upcoming performances:
April 3, 5 – Nederlands Dans
Theater I;
April 12–13 – Basil Twist, puppeteer, with Orchestra of St. Luke's;
April 20–21 – Spring Dance –
UNC School of the Arts, with Chancellor John Mauceri, conductor; and
April 26–27 – Martha Graham
Dance Company.
At left: A dancer with the Joffrey ballet performs in a re-creation of the original “The Rite
of Spring.”
8 Un ive rsity
Gaze t t e
News
I n Bri e f
Deadlines to watch
April 8 – Nominations are due for the LGBTIQ Advocacy
Award, supported by UNC’s LGBTQ Center. This award
recognizes contributions to, or advocacy on behalf of, the
LGBTIQ communities at Carolina. One undergraduate and
one graduate/professional student, both who will graduate this year, are eligible to receive the LGBTIQ Advocacy
Award. Visit go.unc.edu/s4H5J for nomination form.
April 19 – Nominations are due for the Extra Mile Award,
which recognizes the individual accomplishments of Finance
Division employees who truly “go the extra mile.” Find out
how to nominate a Finance Division employee who consistently provides you and your department with exceptional
customer service at go.unc.edu/Hw2j6.
April 19 – Nominations are due for the Employee Forum
Community “Three Legged Stool” Award, which recognizes
distinguished contributions by individuals who work to promote cooperation and collaboration among faculty, staff
and students. For requirements, eligibility and nomination
forms, visit go.unc.edu/Xj26W.
Lectures
April 9 – Carrie Preston of Boston University will give the
talk “Isadora Duncan’s Modernist Pose – Looking Back and
to The Rite” on the modernist dance movement and “The
Rite of Spring” at 3:30 p.m. in Hyde Hall University Room.
This event is part of Carolina’s “The Rite of Spring at 100”
celebration. go.unc.edu/s2N9K
April 9 – The Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
will host “Diversity in Higher Education: Creating Effective
UNC Science Expo,
spring football game
to be held on April 13
Discover current science research happening on campus at the UNC Science Expo April 13 from 10 a.m. to
3 p.m. The UNC Science Expo will include demonstrations, hands-on activities, lab tours, exhibits and science
talks from Carolina professors and students. Visit the
Sustainability Center and the Solar Stage, sponsored
by the Town of Chapel Hill, to find out about the ways
Chapel Hill stays green and learn tips on how to live
more sustainably. The “Small Science” area provides a
safe and interactive space for children ages 2 through 8
to explore, play and build. The expo is appropriate for all
ages. go.unc.edu/Hd25P
The Tar Heels’ annual spring football game will be
held April 13 at Kenan Stadium at 3 p.m. Admission
is free. GoHeels.com will have more information as it
becomes available.
Mentoring Practices for Junior Faculty of Color” from 3 to 5 p.m. in
Gerrard Hall. Register at go.unc.
edu/St85P.
April 10 – Terrorism and national
NPR newscaster and radio personality Carl Kasell will deliver a free pubsecurity expert David Schanzer will
lic program April 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the Genome Sciences Building, Room
consider the threat of terrorism, the
GS 200. In “An Evening with Carl Kasell,” Kasell will hold a conversation with
risks of international conflict and
WUNC host Eric Hodge and UNC journalism student Mike Rodriguez.
the state of national security at a
The evening will begin with a receptalk at Flyleaf Books from 5:30 to
tion and viewing of items from Univer7:30 p.m. Cost is $20 at the door,
sity Archives related to Kasell’s career
$18 in advance and $8 for UNC
and radio station WUNC at 5 p.m. For
GAA members. Find more inforevent information, contact Liza Terll at
liza_terll@unc.edu, 919-548-1203.
mation at humanities.unc.edu.
The event is sponsored by UNC
April 11 – Arthur C. Brooks, presiFriends of the Library, University
dent of the American Enterprise
Archives and Records Management
Institute, will give the Roy H. Park
Services, WUNC and the School of
Distinguished Lecture at the School
Journalism and Mass Communication.
of Journalism and Mass Communication in Carroll 111 at 4 p.m.
April 11 – CBS News medical
correspondent Jonathan LaPook will speak at 6 p.m. at the
at UNC” precedes the lecture. go.unc.edu/i5EFj
Friday Center. Space is limited and registration is required.
April 13 – At the seminar “Holocaust Histories: New Direcgo.unc.edu/Ke38G.
tions in Scholarship and Teaching,” historian Christopher
April 11 –Robert Spearman, former student body presiBrowning will reflect on the development of Holocaust studdent and 1965 graduate, will give the talk “The Speaker Ban
ies as a field. The event takes place at the UNC Center for
Through Student Eyes” for the Gladys Hall Coates UniverSchool Leadership Development from 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
sity History Lecture at 5:30 p.m. at the Wilson Special ColRegistration is required. Tuition is $125 or $62.50 for teachlections Library. A 5 p.m. viewing of the exhibit “A Right to
ers. Find more information at humanities.unc.edu.
Speak and to Hear: Academic Freedom and Free Expression
April 17 – Epidemiologist Steve Meshnick will examine how
public health systems conduct surveillance for emerging
infectious diseases at his lecture “Surveillance and Prevention of Pandemics: Too Little or Chicken Little?” at Flyleaf
Books from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is $20 at the door, $18 in
advance and $8 for UNC GAA members. Find more information at humanities.unc.edu.
April 18 – Josipa Roksa, associate professor of sociology and
education at the University of Virginia and author of “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses,”
will participate in a discussion about improving undergraduate education at 3 p.m. in the Graham Memorial Foundation
Common Room. go.unc.edu/Yq28B
NPR’s Carl Kasell to speak April 16
2013 Chancellor’s Awards Ceremony
Students, staff and faculty are invited to attend the Chancellor’s Awards ceremony April 18 at 3 p.m. in the Great Hall. A
reception will follow.
Each April, the chancellor awards certificates, prizes and medals to students whose achievements in academic work, as well
as student activities and leadership, deserve special recognition.
Along with these awards, the chancellor distributes the Student Undergraduate Teaching and Staff Awards, established by
students to recognize outstanding undergraduate instruction.
Apply for BRIDGES
A group of participants at last year’s Science Expo uses
vacuum pumps to suck the air out of marshmallow Peeps.
The application period for BRIDGES, an intensive professional development program for women in higher education
who seek to gain or strengthen academic leadership capabilities, is open through May 1. BRIDGES is designed to help
women identify, understand and move into leadership roles in
April 3, 2 013
the academy. Through the program, participants will:
Develop insights into leadership, with a particular focus on
the special skills and attributes women bring to their leadership roles;
Acquire an understanding of the many facets of colleges and
universities;
Refine and improve their cross-cultural communication
skills; and
Create a program of personal and professional development
to benefit themselves and their institutions.
For full details on BRIDGES, visit go.unc.edu/b3Y4X.
Upcoming blood drives at UNC
Make an appointment to donate blood by visiting
go.unc.edu/q2WQk and using sponsor code UNC or by calling
1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767):
April 3 at UNC Hospitals from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Connor Community from 3 to 7 p.m., Kenan Community from
3 to 7 p.m.
April 5 at Cobb Residence Hall from 3 to 7 p.m.
READINGS
All readings are at the Bull’s Head Bookshop inside Student
Stores:
April 4 – David Amram will read from “Vibrations:
A Memoir” at 2 p.m.
April 9 – Nora Gaskin will read from “Until Proven:
A Mystery in Two Parts” at 3:30 p.m.
April 11 – Philip Gura will read from “Truth’s Ragged Edge:
The Rise of the American Novel” at 3:30 p.m.
April 16 – Georgann Eubanks will read from “Literary Trails
of Eastern North Carolina: A Guidebook” at 3:30 p.m.
Ackland offers course
development grants
9
Water in our World
April 4 – The Carolina Science Cafe Series will feature composer Lee Weisert, assistant professor of music, for the talk “Fluid
Music: Exploring Cryoacoustic Orbs and Hydrophonic Sound
Installations” at 6 p.m. in the Back Bar of Top of the Hill Restaurant. This talk will focus on how technology is enabling musicologists to explore environmental soundscapes. This event is free and
open to the public. go.unc.edu/w6XZm
April 9 – Buster Simpson will give the lecture “Fare Thee Well (Again and Again) Water Repurposed: The Poetic
Utility of Art and Water” at 6 p.m. in the Hanes Art Center Auditorium. Simpson, who has helped define contemporary and environmental public art, will talk about engaging with water conservation as a visual artist.
April 12 – A “Meeting of the Waters”
tour, an exploration of water on UNC’s
campus, will begin at 3 p.m. from the
Visitors’ Center. Missy Julian Fox,
director of the Visitors’ Center; Cindy
Shea, director of UNC Sustainability;
and Brian White, associate professor of
marine sciences, will lead the tour.
these funds is to further integrate its collections into academics
at UNC. This year, the Ackland especially encourages course
The Ackland Art Museum offers funding to support new proposals that target the museum’s collection of Asian art,
courses or revisions to existing courses that directly engage with but welcomes proposals in other areas as well. The maximum
the museum’s collection. The Ackland’s objective in offering grant award is $10,000. Grants are available to faculty in any
discipline. Tenured or tenure-track
faculty, fixed-term faculty and
lecturers may apply for these grants.
Nobel laureate explores
Applications are due April 15. For
‘interculturality’ at UNC and Duke
details, contact Caroline Culbert at
culbert@unc.edu.
Nobel Laureate Jean Marie Le Clézio, the prolific French author, and Issa Asgarally, the Mauritian cultural scholar and activist, will discuss “Interculturality and
New faculty
the Arts” April 17 through 19 at a series of events at UNC and Duke University.
microtalks
Le Clézio and Asgarally co-founded the Foundation for Interculturality and
The Institute for Arts and
Peace to explore how to promote dialogue across cultural and geographical barriers
Humanities is hosting two sesthrough the arts and humanities, community engagement and educational curricula.
sions of five-to-seven minute
Both will be at the Stone Center on April 17 for readings and book signings
microtalks by new faculty in the
from 10 to 11:30 a.m., roundtable discussions from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and a keynote
College of Arts and Sciences on
address at 6:30 p.m. On April 18, they will be at Duke University for roundtable
April 8 and April 10 from 4:30 to
discussions and readings from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Franklin Humanities Institute/
6:30 p.m. in the Hyde Hall UniHaiti Lab.
versity Room. Faculty in their
On April 19, Duke and UNC music faculty will co-host a concert at Duke feafirst and second years at UNC will
turing soprano Terry Ellen Rhodes, cellist Fred Raimi and pianist Jane Hawkins
give brief, informal talks to presat 7 p.m. at the Mary Duke Biddle Music Building on Duke’s East Campus. Find
ent their scholarship to the wider
the schedule and details at go.unc.edu/q5EYm.
campus community. A wine and
cheese reception will follow each
The artwork of UNC student Caroline Orr is
prominently displayed as part of “The Water of Life: Artistic Expressions” art exhibition currently at the FedEx Global Education
Center. Some of Orr’s work is available for
auction in support of A Drink For Tomorrow’s
sustainable water project in Las Cocas, Peru.
paintingforpipeline.org
session. For more details, including a list of speakers, visit
go.unc.edu/b4B7E.
Rare Book Collection Recent
Acquisitions Evening
On April 9, the UNC Rare Book Collection will host a notunder-glass display of additions to the collection from the past
two years. The 5 p.m. event in the Wilson Special Collections
Library’s Grand Reading Room is free and open to the public.
Material will range in date from the 17th to the 20th centuries.
Among the items on display will be Galileo Galilei’s last book,
“Discorsi e Dimostrazioni Matematiche Intorno à due Nuove
Scienze,” William Wordsworth’s letters, Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s
sketchbook with original drawings and the first and early versions
of his poem “The Canticle of Jack Kerouac” and many more.
For information about the Rare Book Collection, contact
Claudia Funke at cfunke@email.unc.edu or 919-962-1143.
NEWS IN BRIEF Submissions
Next issue includes events from April 18 to May 1.
Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m., Mon., April 8.
Email gazette@unc.edu. The Gazette events page
includes only items of general interest geared toward
a broad audience. For complete listings of events, see
the Carolina Events Calendars at events.unc.edu.
10 Univ ersity
Gazet t e
Carolina
w o r k ing a t
Thorp honored with
endowment to
support UNC faculty
Pukkila champions
undergraduate
research at UNC
On a cold winter night in 1979, Pat Pukkila woke up at 3 a.m.,
turned to her husband and said, “Honey, I have to go into the lab.”
A biology postdoc at Harvard, Pukkila knew that after many
months, the results of her experiments, designed to show how
bacteria correct mistakes made when DNA is copied, would be
readable. As she recalls seeing the results, she is nearly moved to
tears 34 years later.
“I can still feel the hairs rise on the back of my neck,” Pukkila
said. “A problem is so simple once you understand it. It’s such a
thrill to know something that no one else yet knows.”
Ensuring that undergraduates at Carolina have the opportunity for that same thrill of discovery has been Pukkila’s focus for
the past 14 years. The professor of biology and founding director of Carolina’s Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR) has
transformed the Carolina undergraduate academic experience.
“Pat’s leadership has helped build on campus a culture that
supports discovery-based learning,” said Donna Bickford, associate director of OUR. “Students who have participated in an
undergraduate research program see themselves as knowledge
producers, not just knowledge consumers.”
That kind of transformative experience was what Pukkila
hoped to achieve.
“My goal was to change the culture surrounding undergraduate involvement in creative original work,” she said. “I am
proud to say that we have achieved that, and that we are the first
Public Service Awards from page 6
Hill and Carrboro through her servicelearning classes and connections with other
campus organizations;
Barbara Renner, library services evaluation specialist with the Health Sciences
Library, was recognized for expanding the
reach of the YOUR HEALTH radio program, produced by the Department of
public university to bring undergraduate research to scale in the
curriculum.”
In fact, 65 percent of graduating seniors received academic
credit for undergraduate research in 2011–12.
“Pat’s personal commitment to undergraduate research has
been parlayed into an institutional commitment to doing this,”
said Bobbi Owen, senior associate dean for undergraduate education. “Pat is a pretty self-effacing person, so the work she does
is never about her; it’s always about the students.”
Throughout Pukkila’s tenure as director – which will end this
June upon her retirement – her innovations have extended the
depth and breadth of undergraduate research opportunities.
Embracing research
The Graduate Research Consultant (GRC) program, which
celebrated its 10th anniversary last December, is just one example. GRCs are graduate students who provide support to faculty
by guiding undergraduates through their research projects from
beginning to end.
Bickford said that in the last 10 years, more than 750 GRCs
have helped faculty in at least 700 courses provide research experiences to more than 21,000 undergraduate students. “Students
who don’t even know they are interested in research have this
Family Medicine;
Camille McGirt, a senior majoring in health
policy and management in the Gillings School
of Global Public Health, was recognized for
her work with Healthy Girls Save the World,
which promotes healthy bodies, minds and
relationships for young girls in the area;
Meriwether Evans, a law student, was
recognized for her work with the Pro Bono
Program, ensuring that people without
economic or political means can pursue
See Pukkila page 11
Chancellor Holden Thorp
has been honored with
the establishment of the
Chancellor Holden Thorp
Faculty Engaged Scholars
Endowment at the Carolina
Center for Public Service.
The endowment was created
with a $1 million gift from
Thorp
an anonymous donor to
name and support the center’s Faculty Engaged
Scholars program.
“This endowment is an especially fitting way to
honor Chancellor Thorp and his contributions in
that it supports faculty from across campus in their
efforts to develop and strengthen their teaching and
research in ways that benefit communities throughout North Carolina, the nation and the world,” said
Lynn Blanchard, director of the Carolina Center for
Public Service.
“Chancellor Thorp is a great supporter of faculty engagement, and this endowment ensures the
funding of the Chancellor Thorp Faculty Engaged
Scholars program in perpetuity.”
A 1986 graduate of UNC, Thorp has served on
the faculty since 1993. Since then he has also been
director of the Morehead Planetarium and Science
Center, chair of the chemistry department and
dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as
serving as chancellor since 2008.
“I can’t imagine something that would mean
more to me than being part of an extraordinary legacy of public service at this university,” Thorp said.
“[Through the Faculty Engaged Scholars program],
it is nice to see public service and applied research
come together in ways beyond anything we could
have imagined. That is inspiring to me and I am
honored to be a part of it.”
go.unc.edu/Gs4b8
legal claims and rights;
Charlotte Stewart, a law student, was recognized for her work to help found the Orange
County Homeless Court, a statewide Veterans Legal Resource Network and the ACLU
Voting Rights Education Project; and
The Campus Y committee Helping Youth
by Providing Enrichment was recognized
for its work to promote education to underserved students in the local area.
The Ronald W. Hyatt Rotary Public Service
Award, named for the late professor of exercise
and sport science and longtime member of
the Chapel Hill Rotary Club, honors projects
that represent the “service above self” motto of
Rotary International.
A Drink For Tomorrow received the award
for its work to raise funds and awareness for
the global water crisis through Las Cocas Sustainable Water Project in Peru.
To learn more about the center and the
awards, see ccps.unc.edu.
April 3, 2 013
opportunity because of Pat’s innovation,” she said.
Mallory Melton, a junior at Carolina, is grateful for the
opportunities presented by the OUR. Last summer, Melton
received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
(SURF), a competitive grant that enables students to complete
summer research projects developed with a faculty mentor.
Melton’s fellowship allowed her to collect and study sandstone samples in Mississippi and then travel to Washington,
D.C., where she compared them to samples in the National
Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of
Natural History.
“I knew that I was able to memorize facts and think about
archaeological sites in a lower-level way,” she said. “But this
challenged me and made me realize how much I enjoy the process of higher-level thinking.”
Melton said the experience solidified her interest in anthropology and cemented her desire to pursue a Ph.D. program in her
field. “This experience made me feel like an independent scholar
who has a future in research,” she said.
Wanting to encourage other undergrads to get involved in
research, Melton serves as an OUR Ambassador, a program
Pukkila helped to create.
“We make presentations in classrooms and residence halls,
places where students feel comfortable,” Melton said. “We help
make students feel that undergraduate research isn’t frightening, but instead, something they can embrace and excel at.”
Broadening the reach
To help ensure that first-generation college students and
other potentially underserved students have access to research
opportunities, Pukkila successfully applied for a grant from the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
“I wanted to put into place a program that could be woven
into the fabric of Carolina and serve the students who weren’t
applying for summer fellowships at rates that one would have
expected,” said Pukkila.
Pukkila’s impact also extends to faculty.
Music professor Donald Oehler said that Pukkila helped him
redefine what research is.
“My main role on campus is as a studio teacher, so I was
perplexed when Pat asked me to get involved with this initiative,” he said. “She said, ‘Au contraire; everything you do is
research.’”
Oehler said that not only has Pukkila inspired him to be creative in how he has students approach projects and conduct
research, she also has helped create a more cohesive academic
community. “
Bickford called Pukkila the most articulate and passionate
person she has ever heard speak about the power of inquiry.
“She believes that inquiry is not only a linchpin to the development of individual students but also in the development of an
educated and curious citizenry.”
Pukkila, who has been at Carolina for more than three
decades, is a highly regarded scientist. Her lab has pioneered
the use of the mushroom Coprinus cinereus (recently renamed
Coprinopsis cinerea) as a model system for investigating chromosome dynamics during meiosis, the cell division process
necessary for sexual reproduction.
She isn’t sure what her retirement will look like, but is open
to the possibilities.
“I’m not somebody who has a whole list of unfulfilled ambitions,” Pukkila said. “I have many interests so I’m looking forward to the time and space to see what will happen next.”
– Michele Lynn for the spring 2013 issue of
Carolina Arts & Sciences (excerpted with permission)
PlayMakers announces 2013 –14 season
Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Awardwinning musical “Assassins” and Noel
Coward’s classic comedy “Private
Lives” are some of the highlights of
the 2013 –14 main-stage season from
PlayMakers Repertory Company.
The theater will also present three
plays in its PRC2 second-stage series,
including a world premiere by Chapel
Hill native Loudon Wainwright III.
“Our new season features plays
that we have been waiting for years
to produce,” said PlayMakers
producing artistic director Joseph
Haj. “It’s an exciting lineup, which
we’re so pleased to bring to life for
Triangle audiences.”
Main-stage plays
“The Mountaintop” by Katori Hall,
Sept. 18–Oct. 6: Set at the Lorraine
Motel in Memphis, the story unfolds
on the last night in the life of civil
rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.
“Metamorphoses” by Mary Zimmerman and “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare, Nov. 2 –Dec. 8:
“Metamorphoses,” based on Ovid’s
classic poem, explores the timeless
theme of love and will be performed in
rotating repertory with the Bard’s last
play, “The Tempest.”
“Private Lives” by Noel Coward,
Jan. 22 – Feb. 9, 2014: Sparks fly when
divorced, newly remarried lovers land
in adjacent honeymoon suites in what
has been called one of the funniest
comedies of the 20th century.
“Love Alone” by Deborah Salem
Smith, Feb. 26 – March 16, 2014:
When a routine medical procedure
goes wrong, a lawsuit changes the lives
of the patient’s family and doctor in
this regional premiere.
“Assassins,” music and lyrics by
Stephen Sondheim, book by John
Weidman, based on an idea by Charles
Gilbert Jr., April 2– April 20, 2014:
The Tony Award-winner blends
stunning lyrics and beautiful music
with a story of our nation’s culture
of celebrity. Haj will direct, with Jack
Herrick of The Red Clay Ramblers as
music director.
PRC 2 second-stage
“Surviving Twin,” written and
performed by Loudon Wainwright
III, Sept. 4–Sept. 8: The focus is
on fatherhood – being a father
and having one – in an exploration of birth, self-identity, loss and
pet ownership.
“Hold These Truths” by Jeanne
Sakata, Jan. 8– Jan. 12, 2014: During
World War II, college student Gordon
Hirabayashi fights the U.S. government’s orders to incarcerate people of
Japanese ancestry on the West Coast
in this regional premiere.
“The Story of the Gun,” created and
performed by Mike Daisey, April 23–
April 27, 2014: In this world premiere
commissioned by PlayMakers, Daisey
tackles America’s national relationship
with guns.
Subscriptions for the new season
are available for purchase. Renewing
subscribers can secure their current
seats by calling 919-962-7529 or visiting www.playmakersrep.org. through
May 1.
interested in pursuing advanced degrees in the sciences.
“We’re grateful for the leadership of faculty and staff in
the science departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as faculty in the School of Medicine and
other professional schools of the University,” Farmer said.
“Without their vision and their commitment to undergraduate students, the Chancellor’s Science Scholarship would
never have been possible.”
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions expects to welcome more than 1,500 admitted students to campus in the
coming months for these and other programs. To learn more
about upcoming admissions events, see admissions.unc.edu.
Welcome from page 6
attend Carolina Bound.
While the event holds many similarities to Explore Carolina, Carolina Bound includes the opportunity for students
to learn the fight song, alma mater and game cheers.
“The best part is that they get to do all of this in the Blue
Zone at Kenan Stadium,” said Patty Baum, assistant director of undergraduate admissions.
Nearly 2,000 admitted first-year students also are invited to
participate in Excel@Carolina, which is designed to connect
the most accomplished admitted students with some of the
– Yolanda Coleman, assistant director of
best resources Carolina has to offer. The 11 special programs
undergraduate admissions
offer benefits including personalized mentorship, guaranteed course selection and summer
immersion programs.
“Excel@Carolina helps us recruit
top students by matching them
with incredible opportunities that
we hope will change their lives,”
said Stephen Farmer, vice provost
for enrollment and undergraduate
admissions.
The vision and cooperation of
many campus partners make the
programs within Excel possible,
Farmer said. He cited the Chancellor’s Science Scholarship – a new
program modeled on the nationally
renowned Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of MarylandBaltimore County that recruits outstanding low-income, first-genera- Patty Baum, assistant director of undergraduate admissions, greets admitted
tion and under-represented students students at the registration table in the George Watts Hill Alumni Center.
Contributed
Pukkila from page 10
11
12 Univ ersity
Gazet t e
Patil’s charge:
stretching scarce
resources to protect
Carolina’s mission
I
t was in Pittsburgh that Mike Patil had his epiphany.
He had always been smart – smart enough to get into
and graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology,
which was akin to Harvard, Princeton and MIT all rolled into
one. The newly democratic government of India established
the institute in 1950 a few months after Patil was born.
After graduating from ITT, Patil enrolled at CarnegieMellon University in 1970 to earn his master’s degree in electrical engineering. He always had the ability to see things
others couldn’t, to model things in the abstract and to experiment
with parameters that pushed the bounds of new possibilities.
It was about the time he was finishing his degree that he realized he didn’t want to use those skills in an engineering lab, but
in the real world, developing solutions to problems that could
make a difference in people’s lives.
That yearning crystallized into a plan of action when the
dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of
Texas in Austin personally visited and recruited Patil into the
school’s master of public administration program.
Too few people from results-oriented, numbers-driven backgrounds get into public administration, the dean told him. Public policymakers need people like Patil who can develop new
systems and processes to deliver services faster, cheaper and
better than before.
Not long afterward, Patil was on his Easy Rider motorcycle
headed to Austin – and on his way to a different kind of future
than he ever imagined, one filled with a string of wide-ranging
assignments that took him all over the world almost every week.
By 2000, he had logged more than 6 million miles on Delta
Airlines, and another 2 million with American Airlines. About
every seven years or so, he found himself working for a new
company and holding a different title.
Always a problem solver
At AMS, a subsidiary of American Express, he was director
of planning and automation; at Ericsson Inc., vice president in
charge of quality management, business processes and information technology. IBM hired Patil as its global project manager to
develop and manage a system to sell $20 billion in computers via
the Internet at a time when online commerce was still a novelty.
The one constant through all those missions was how
Patil viewed himself. He was, and would always be, a creative
problem solver. And consistently, his task was to imagine, then
implement a better way to do things than had been done before.
Bob Blouin, dean of the Eshelman School of Pharmacy,
urged Patil to keep that mindset when he hired him as associate
dean for integrated business management in fall 2006.
Both men knew they were taking a chance, Patil said.
Patil had never worked in academia before, and he knew it
would be like adapting to a foreign culture. On the other side,
Blouin was an academic leader interested in improving the
bottom line.
During this three years with the pharmacy school, Patil
developed new processes and systems that allowed the school
to reduce its staff by 20 percent, while the grants the faculty
attracted increased threefold – from $8 million to $24 million.
In a sense, the opportunity Blouin gave him reminded Patil
of his first job after graduate school. He worked for a newly
elected, reform-minded comptroller for the state of Texas who
introduced computer systems that detected billions of dollars
in uncollected taxes and brought in the same kind of automated
processes the IRS used to track and record tax payments as they
were mailed in.
Finding efficiencies
People like Patil are always looking for a better way to do
something – and the means to use his skillset to create it.
The pharmacy school’s increased productivity and cost savings drew attention when consultants from Bain & Company
arrived on campus in 2008 looking for ways to streamline
the University’s organizational structure and fulfill its multipronged mission with greater efficiency.
It was a different time then, Patil said. Holden Thorp had
just been named chancellor and the national economy was
still strong. No one knew that within the year there would be
a severe recession leading to four consecutive years of state
budget cuts that would make doing more with less no longer a
choice, but a necessity.
In fall 2009, when Thorp was about to launch Carolina
Counts to implement some of Bain’s recommendations, he
looked to Joe Templeton, a friend and colleague from the
chemistry department and former faculty chair, to help spearhead it.
And he met with Patil to have the same kind of conversation
Patil had held with Blouin three years before.
“He described what he wanted to accomplish,” Patil said. “I
described what I wanted to accomplish. We seemed to be on
the same page.”
Thorp named Patil to serve as executive director of Carolina
Counts, working with Templeton.
The result has been astounding: $55 million in annual savings for the past three-and-a-half years. The savings have
reached across a wide spectrum of areas, from energy savings to
procurement to reduced layers of management.
Meanwhile, Patil’s imagination keeps churning.
Point and click
It was while working for the pharmacy school that Patil
designed a software program called InfoPorte that enabled faculty members to point and click a mouse on a single page to
access and retrieve all the information they needed to manage
their grants and contracts and personnel.
The system worked so well that it was eventually adopted
as a departmental system by the Provost’s Office as well as the
School of Medicine and College of Arts and Sciences.
Patil’s latest project, which he has been working on for the
past couple of years, is called OpSmart. Because it is still in the
test phase, only the chancellor, provost and deans now have
access to it, Patil said.
The idea behind it is similar to InfoPorte – to pack useful
information on one page that can be retrieved by pointing and
clicking. Administrators can apply that information in making
decisions about their operations, best practices and potential
areas for savings across the full spectrum of functions, from
information technology to human resources.
Patil has designed a model that can calculate the cost for a
department to execute its function, and then match that benchmark against the amount actually spent.
Last fall, Patil created a buzz when he presented the software
to the National Association of College and University Business
Officers, and he looks forward to sharing its potential with Carolina’s new chancellor and provost.
Patil said he understands the importance of department
heads and deans making the decisions about how money is
spent, and he hopes they see OpSmart as a useful tool for making better, more informed decisions.
“We don’t want to make anybody do anything, but at the
same time, we want to help deans if they feel that they need to
do something,” Patil said.
OpSmart provides information with enough analysis to
reveal where they stand.
“It is kind of like having a scale in your house to check your
weight,” Patil explained. “The scale doesn’t make any value
judgment. It doesn’t scream at you. But if you want to know
how overweight you are, it will give you the number.
“OpSmart, in a similar way, is a flashing light telling you
where you are being inefficient, and by how much. But in the
end, what you do with that information is up to you.”